The Precarious Past
by EtherealTryst
Summary: Natsume is your ordinary smith. He never fantasize being with a woman nor marry one but he do have dreams of a certain woman. Then one day the king's squire visited him and offered him the cup of a life time relief which revealed a very dangerous past.
1. Prologue: A Historical Past

**Prologue**

**A Historical Past  
**

"This can't be happening…"

He was standing there, surrounded by cloaked creatures that were sending off vibes that they were beyond human. Beads of sweat was dropping from his temples to his naked torso. He was the best warrior. He was the foretold warrior that will save the world. So why was here? Why did everything felt as if it's the end? How could this happen to him? He still had a mission to finish, damn it! Maybe Fate was playing another rough game. Better yet else if he found out she was just messing up with him, he swore to kill her one day. But of course that would never happen.

The place was really eerie enough to make the hair stood on its ends. To add to that, it was very stinky as if it was a garbage storeroom that was neglected for decades. He was at the dangerous edge of unconsciousness. What could he do? Lie down and keep quiet? No way. But it was the sad truth. He couldn't get out of the chains he was bound to, let alone get out of the area itself. Damn right he's going to sue Lady Fate after this ordeal. But first, he must find a way to get out. If only she…

"What are we to do with this imbecile?" One of them asked out loud to no one, probably voicing out the thoughts of the others. He stepped forward and harshly kicked the chained man on his torso, sending him rolling towards the end of his prison cell.

"Umpf!" The pain almost knocked out the oxygen from his lungs plus the bone cracking connection of his back to the wall greatly contributed to the success of his unconsciousness. "_If this keeps up…I'll…"_ This were his last words before completely succumbing to the warm and promising embrace of oblivion.

* * *

The clanking of metal to metal was the noisiest sound that could be heard from a certain village. But instead of being a nuisance, it actually sounded a little too cheery. It was as if it enjoyed being clashed with another metal – a hot one on top of that. Of course there were others who were using their voice to create a noise but it didn't seem to bother the others. It was as if they were immune. But of course that was one hypothesis. However, being immune was not really the issue that these noise were telling. But one thing was for sure: No one could ever disrupt the peace they had. Or so they thought.

The thumping of horse hooves reached the sensitive ears of the village dwellers. They raised their heads and stopped what they were doing almost simultaneously. The hooves were getting louder and heavier and they realized that it was no ordinary stranger. The bright red uniform of the man mounted on a raging black horse was enough for the people to recognize him. He's the king's squire. They immediately lined up, dropping what they were holding at the very instant and bowed waist level when the squire's horse galloped past them. When he's finally out of sight, they returned to what they were doing and proceeded to assume the intentions of the squire.

"This must be a very important day. The squire himself went to our village!" The fish vendor exclaimed dramatically as she grabbed a salmon and dropped it on the weighing scale.

"It's the time of the year." An old hermit-looking man came out of the mining cave with a peaceful expression.

"What do you mean?" His companion asked, curious.

"It's the time when the king would choose a fine young man from every village and give them tests to assess the status of a village in certain areas. If he passed the test, he's really lucky for he will be able to marry a noble from the king's hierarchy. Of course the man will be trained well in different aspects before he can marry." The old man coughed, clearly exhausted after narrating the story.

"Only one?" The miner asked with a hint of disappointment in his tone.

"Before, yes. Now, it depends on the king. There are thousands of other villages all around the kingdom aside from our own Thundersmith Village. There is the Roseburn, the Aquamirth, the Stonestorm and many other prominent and unknown villages. These villages have their own specialties just like ours, The Art of the Smiths." The old man finished his explanation with a slight cough.

"But it seemed the squire already knew his destination. Why is that?" The fish vendor became curious as well, hoping for his son to be the chosen one.

"That's because our blacksmith, Noda, is a good friend of the king's father. How? It was several years before you people, the inhabitants of Sanders Village came here to stay in our own village." Everyone stared at the old man with awe in their eyes. Every word that came out of his mouth sang a lullaby of long forgotten events. It was as if they were listening to the echoes of the past being weaved back to tell its secrets to the present.

"Noda was once a royal guard of the palace. But for some unknown reasons even I don't know, he was thrown out of the palace. I thought it looked that way because the guards were pushing him out and he got a wagon of things behind him. I was watching him in my early years as he stopped at a certain spot and put his wagon down. I was curious to what he was going to do so I approached him and asked him of his intentions..."

-flashbacks-

_"The king was doubtful of my loyalty to him. So he told me to build a village as a proof of my unfaltering allegiance." A fair-skinned man with a snow white hair replied while hauling the loads of tools he was going to use. His body was really skinny but the leaner man was surprised when he saw what he was carrying on his shoulder. A wagon full of tools made of metal._

_"That is strange." A man of a younger and skinnier built stated as he peered into the inside of the former's wagon._

_"He has been acting strange lately actually. Not that I care that much for he'll definitely tell me to piss off and bother someone else." He dropped a huge rock which shattered into pieces. He took the smithereens and put them inside his wagon. Then, a gust of wind blew past the skinny man. He shivered a bit at the sudden change of atmosphere. Not that he cared much._

_"So how are you going to build that village all by yourself?" The latter asked, curiosity pouring out of his bright, gray eyes._

_"Magic, of course." _

_"Magic?! But you're a...and..." He was unable to finish his sentence when the taller man laughed._

_"The king found out about my abilities. I didn't know how did he find out but that was pretty good...and annoying as well. You see, magic users are a rarity among the kingdom. Aside from the king himself, there are others - but not that many - who knew the Way of Magic. Few people learn it and even fewer are born with it. That aside, he found out and immediately labeled me as a threat." Sarcasm was pouring out of the man's words, the other man was shivering from every drop of it._

_"Why would they label you like that?"_

_"As a royal guard, we are assumed that we have no connections with magic or whatsoever. Once proven you are a magic user, they will banish you from your post and have you face the wrath of the king. But of course old buddy is a very nice king so he let me build my own village for the sake of having new homes for the new inhabitants. Population is growing. Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!" The man assumed a pose and bright circles appeared under him with strange markings._

_"But I thought you were doubted of your loyalty..."_

_"That's a bluff of course! I'm yer old king's bestie and he would neva' doubt me. Those idiot guards were guarding me, suspicious of my every action and their idiot leader is trying hard to find mistakes from to so he can report it to the king an' get his ass promoted. Those guards only knew that the king doubted me so I have to build a village but the real reason I'm out here to build a village is because it's a request from the king." He assumed another pose, the light became brighter and brighter. More circles appeared on the ground, equidistant from each other._

_"Aren't you worried that those guards might come and get your ass kicked?"_

_"You're a magic user, boy. I knew that ever since I came at this spot. You felt it, didn't you? You felt the impact of the barrier I put up when I work. That gust of wind, it signified the completion of the barrier. Now I have nothing to fear except if you break it of course! Those idiots will only see a Noda working like a carpenter. And I bet they are laughing their asses off at the sight. Oh by the way, get back a little and see if you can shield yourself. Be prepared!"_

-end of flashback-

"...And that's why the squire knew where he is to go. Few years later after the village was filled with people, Noda married a beautiful woman named Misaki. But Misaki died after giving birth to the twins. Since the king knew him well, he let Noda's elder son partake in the test. Now the twins were grown up and married two noble women who were surprisingly twins as well. And then, Noda found this peculiar boy and raised him as his own." The old man turned his back to proceed to the mining cave.

"So that would mean Natsume is the chosen one of the current king?" One of the vendors voiced out his assumption and the old man turned his head over his shoulder.

"Exactly. And every children that went under him may or may not have a chance. The rules actually changed now." The old man walked forward.

"The current king did not stick to one. He chooses as many as he wanted. But there is a twist." Even if his back was facing them, the people shivered especially on the last note that dropped his lips. He disappeared from their sight and the people continued their tasks. Even so, they were bothered by the end of the old man's narration. It was as if there was something more to this old man, Noda, the squire, the king and the event itself. The hot topic of the village gossip was the old man's narration.

**End of Prologue**


	2. Two Destinations, One Goal

**Chapter 1**

**Two Destinations, One Goal  
**

It was another hopeful day for a raven-haired teenage smith who happened to open his ruby-tinted eyes as the early morning bird sang its lullaby. He stayed in his laying position for a few moments, breathing in the early morning breeze and indulging in the finest things nature had offered him. And then there's a flying bucket of cold water.

"What was that for, old man?!" He shot up from his bed and glared fiercely at the old man who was laughing hard on his knees.

"That is what it is for." The man with a muscular built pointed at the bed where the younger man was sitting. The young man immediately looked down to see a colony of ants crawling up his bed. The young man shot the latter a deadpan look and got out of bed rather angrily.

"Look, I saved you from those ants. Don't get mad." The old man stood up from his position and proceeded to a table made of oak wood. As he sat down on a chair, he began to rub his index finger on the polished edge of the table.

"A truly magnificent piece of craft. As expected from the best wood-craftsman." He looked at the table with admiration in his eyes.

"You could have warned me some other way instead of splashing that bucket of water." The raven-haired young man joined the old man for breakfast.

"You do know about the saying "kill two birds with one stone"." Taking the cup of tea, the old man smelled the minty aroma before sipping it. There was a silence between the two for a single breath when the old man put down his cup abruptly and stood up with a serious face.

"He's coming." Before he knew it, the ruby-eyed man was yanked from his seat towards the bathroom.

"H-hey! What are you doing?!" He was unable to do anything aside from writhing while his clothes were stripped off of him. "H-hey!" He was then thrown into an old bathtub and a soap was tossed to him which bounced on his head.

"That hurt! What's going on anyway?!" He took the soap and began rubbing his skin slowly.

"The king's squire has come. Hurry up! Be finished within five minutes. And wear these clothes." The old man rushed up to the so-called living room and cleaned it with great speed. As for the young man, he was baffled greatly but did the orders of his old man. He found the garments and was shocked to see it. It was a tuxedo with a pink long-sleeved undershirt and red striped necktie.

_'I didn't know pops hides garments like this.' _As he was belting his slacks, he was yanked again towards the living room. He noticed that the old man was wearing the same garment, too, but of different color. The undershirt was a mixture of light blue and white stripes in a vertical position. One button was off and his necktie was a simple black one with no design. And his snow white hair was tied back in a neat pony tail. He was totally not the pops he knew everyday. It was as if he held a more dignified position than a mere smith.

"Be at your best manners."

And then he heard it. The soft thumping of the hooves. A horse. But where was it headed? Why were they dressed formally? Is there a party that they would attend to? So many questions filled the young man's head when there came a knock on the door. The old man stiffly walked towards the door and opened it, bowing in the process.

"Good day, Your Majesty's squire."

"Good day, too, Noda. As always, you never failed to amaze me with your formality." The squire went in and Noda offered him a seat. The squire, a man who looked forty years old, glanced at the rigid young man who was still standing and facing the door.

"Natsume Hyuuga, I presume?" Noda poured the tea he made on a porcelain cup, definitely worthy of being called 'a belonging of a royalty'.

"Yes. He is the child I am talking about." Noda placed the ceramic teapot somewhere on the table.

"Have a seat. And let him join, too." The squire took hold of the porcelain cup and smelled the aroma of the tea.

"You never fail to amaze me. It has been years since we had last seen each other yet you remembered correctly my favorite tea." He sipped from the cup, admiring the quaint blending of the aroma and the atmosphere inside the meager yet very neat house.

"Of course, how could I forget. And I used your favorite porcelain cups. An old lady sold it to me when I came back from a journey and she sold it real cheap so I bought it." He poured tea of Natsume's cup and his and gently placed down the teapot.

"I won't be staying here for too long because I need to finish some things in the castle. But I did came all the way here to deliver the usual message." He took a rolled parchment from his pocket and untied the red silk ribbon.

"On behalf of King Ruka Nogi, I present to you this letter. It says that as part of our tradition, young men are to face a test when they come in the right age. The late King Henry Nogi was a good friend of Noda so any children that undergone him will have the chance to participate in the test. And I hereby proclaim that you're a candidate for being a husband to one of the nobles. Of course you will have the chance to pick a noble of your choice. So, are you up for the challenge?" The quire rolled the piece of parchment and tied the ribbon back.

The crunchy sound of the rolling parchment conditioned Natsume into adventure mode. He sat up and with a firm look look on his face, he replied with great enthusiasm. "I am."

"God bless to you my dear! Hope you pass the test and bring home the bacon!" Noda waved his hand vigorously as he saw off his adopted son.

"I will definitely bring you a bacon, pops!" Then they disappeared from his sight.

"You never told him, did you?" An old ragged voice from behind him muttered soflty.

"He'll discover it by himself. No. He needs to discover himself." Noda turned around and looked at his old magician friend.

"Why don't you sit down for a while and enjoy the tea while it's hot." He gestured for the old man to sit but the old man shook his head in refusal.

"We have lots of time for that later. We must quickly find another one that will replace him. You know very well once _he_ makes his move, you can never deny him anything. Remember Noda, he maybe be your successor and probably the _next in the line_ but you still hold the future of this kingdom." The old man turned his back and walked towards the shadow while disappearing completely.

"That old man. He never knew how to wait, did he?" Noda changed from his formal clothes to a something akin to a magician. A black cloak with a purple lining was draped across his thin shoulders and the cloak was touching the ground due to its length. The hood was pulled back, revealing a tattooed neck and forehead. He was wearing a standard magician uniform consisting of a floor-length white gown and a purple belt. His shoe was a normal leather shoe which was pointed at the end. A staff as high as he was appeared from his hands.

"Well, time to go! Micha, please take care of the place while I'm gone." He walked towards the shadows and disappeared, too, leaving no trace of his presence. Just then, a woman with a lithe body in a fit leather outfit came out from the bed of Natsume.

"Hmpf! He's going to leave me again. But he'll give me treats when he come back anyway! Yay!" She stealthily jumped across the room and landed on her feet. "Well then, time to guard master's precious mansion!

And then the house became eerily quiet.

**End of Chapter**

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Author's Note: Phew! Chapter one's up! Yay! I know some of you may be confused but rest assured, once the story progresses, you'll find the answers to your questions and go "Ah!" I also corrected the mistakes so...go and re-read it if you want to! YAY! I just noticed the chapter's title doesn't match with the one on the drop-down list XDD

**:Shiro:** That's your specialty as well, confusing people. Aside from your speedproofing thingy. And if you're truly good at that, why did I spot some mistakes in the prologue?

Shut up and I updated this chapter and the prologue. Why are you still saying I have mistakes? Maybe you should get an eye check-up.

**:Shiro: **S-shut up!

Bleh. Well, if you do the-

**:Shiro: **Che fine. Read and review. Happy now?

More than ever! *glomps Shiro*


	3. The Unspoken Trial

**Chapter 2**

**The Unspoken Trial**

"Here we are." The squire halted his horse from running when they saw a boy as tall as Natsume, as if awaiting for the arrival of his master. True enough, he was.

Natsume finally caught a good view of the squire that went to his old man's house. He was wearing a nutcracker's hat with a bunch of feathers on the left side that covered the top part of his head but the wavy golden ends of his hair was in great contrast with his red hat. His violet eyes seemed to glimmer in the sun. His uniform was that of a nutcracker, too, but red in color. Was it him or did the uniform got brighter all of the sudden?

_'Must be the sun.'_ He dismissed the thought. Moving on, a steel sword that hung loosely on his waist proved that it was his old man's work because of the familiar insignia composed of two hammers facing each other while forming a cross and a loose ribbon over them on the hilt. The black leather strap with distinct scratches mirrored the numerous battles this man had faced in the entire curse of his life. And there was nothing interesting about his boots aside from being very clean. As expected of a squire.

And for the love of God, he looked younger than he was in the house. Maybe if the old man were to go out, he would look younger, too. Come to think of it, when he opened the door to let in the squire, his face seemed to undergo a change. There must be something within the house. And Natsume became conscious of 'how old' he looked inside the house.

"Here boy. You know the drill." The squire handed the boy the powerful stallion. The stallion obediently walked with the boy. Natsume took off his eyes from the boy and gazed around the stables, taking in everything he saw. The lush green grasses were bended by the strong, cool wind. The golden haystack was being chomped hungrily by the avid horses. The humming of the birds here were softer than the ones near his window. This part of the palace was a paradise already.

"Why don't we take a look around for the time being? I'm sure the royals are still preparing for the main event. The official ceremony will start tomorrow so we have all the time in world today. Of course I need to sign you up as one of the candidates but we can do that later on." The squire nodded to the listening smith and urged him to walk beside him.

"May I ask something?" Natsume's eyes were looking far ahead, as if in great deep thought.

"What is it?"

"Is having a tattoo star a trend in this kingdom?"

The squire chuckled and patted the teen's head. "Well, let's just say it's a disciplinary measure. You know, disrespectful and other foul things."

"So people who have done something against the palace are immediately tattooed with that star?"

He nodded his head, glad that the teen was catching up pretty quick.

"May I know your name? I believe it's rude of me to talk to someone without knowing his name."

_'Etiquette. Hmm...' _The squire smiled and looked ahead. "Narumi Anjo. But you can call me Narumi. No formalities when we're alone. Of course don't forget to call me sir in the presence of the king." The squire chuckled a bit at the confused yet stern expression Natsume made. _'Looks like the cat I have I my quarters.'_

"This is the royal garden." Narumi streched his left arm sidewards to show the grandeur of the huge garden. There was a fountain at the middle of the garden, with a statue at the middle of the fountain. It was a statue of a Greek goddess and he couldn't recall from the distance they were in. There were lots of wisteria trellis, hyacinth, roses, forget-me-not and other exotic flowers he couldn't recognize and probably not in his dictionary. He shrugged off but seeing the shady trees and even more fine grasses was screaming and inviting sleep. Suddenly, he got a bit tired from riding the horse. He stifled a yawn that almost escaped from his lips, covering his mouth with his right hand.

"Is that statue Aphrodite?" He asked randomly. He thought that he got over the statue but there's something about the statue that picked his interest.

"Yes. You know something about her?" Narumi could only stare wide-eyed at the peculiar teen beside him. Indeed, he would never ever be tired of praising Noda for his unending surprises.

"A little. From the book pops bought me from one of his journeys. She is the Greek goddess of love, beauty and sexuality. If I know, she was the lover of the late Adonis who died from a hunt of something." He shrugged off, unable to continue due to limited knowledge. Well at least he knew something about her. Reading books was not his hobby but instead became a routine due to lack of work these past few days. Not that he minded for it did not affect nor rust his skills. He looked at his calloused hands.

_'Impressive.' _"Well then, Natsume Hyuuga. How do you find your old man Noda?" The squire started to guide him towards the palace, still telling him of the buildings and places that they passed by. The brief silence was deafening and having Noda's adopted son still a bit tensed around him only irritated the squire. He couldn't order him to talk for that would truly be rude. And who knew what this little man hid beneath the calm facade.

"Well," He looked up, suddenly interested at the falling dried leaves. "I think his stubbornness could compare to those falling leaves." Natsume grinned, congratulating himself mentally for giving a good answer.

_'Very well said. That's unexpected once again. I am truly humbled by your surprises, Noda.'_ The squire thought in awe. His dull violet eyes lit up from eliciting a good reaction from the latter. "And pray tell why is that so?" He mentally praised his ability to converse with people even at times like this. He was suddenly interested at the comparison of the falling dried leaves to the stubbornness of his old friend.

"That's because," He put a finger on his chin, trying to recall the best moment where the old man had proved his comparison. "he's unbelievably stubborn, and I think it became a part of his system already – you know what I mean – and just like how the falling leaves cannot help but be pulled down by gravity, he cannot help but be in numerous tight spots." He frowned a little, remembering the incident with the flying bucket of water.

"That's Noda, all right."

"Yeah." He chuckled a bit and as an understatement, he added. "And because of his stubbornness, he can ridiculously escape those tight spots." The two broke into a full-blown laughter, obviously laughing at the mishaps the old man had.

'_He passed. Good work, Noda.'_

The trip towards the Great Hall was quite short and there Natsume really started to gape in pure awe. The hall was like any other hall in a royal palace. The ceiling decorated with golden chandeliers were very high and dome in shape. The beautiful curves of the arcs inside were deeply emphasized by the gold and white color combination. The great pillars stood proud, wearing a thick white paint polished with a transparent coating and they glistened whenever the sunlight reached them. The huge glass windows were embellished by velvet red curtains, pull to the sides to let in the majestic rays of the sun. The outstretched carpet they were walking on were flourished by the rose petals that were thrown earlier that day. And at the end of the hall, there stood three large thrones, each had their own unique design and imprints. The thrones were elevated, the middle one intended for the king was a nit higher than the two beside it. Numerous guards were standing in their post.

"Welcome to the Great Hall."

**End of Chapter**

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Author's Note:All right, people, I do apologize for not updating for two days already x.x Got sick and a bit busy and more headaches for the past two days and I can't even bring myself into typing the story on my iPod. x.x My eyes hurt. Well I became energetic once more and I am in the process of finishing Chapter 3! I'm free tomorrow so I'll do a two-chapter release. Yay! To make up for the days I have not updated. Ohohohoho~ And yes Natsume is OOC at times...well it's an AU after all _ and well, let's just say I forced him to do things my way at some point here. *fufufufu*

**:Shiro: **That's because you think nothing but to stay up late at night and watch Bleach.

Shut up.

**:Shiro: **Is that your always retort?

All right then. No snuggling for-

**:Shiro: **Geez! I was just kidding!

Good, good. :D

**:Hyourinmaru:** Please read and review.

Thank you Hyou-chan! *glomps*

**:Shiro:** Hey, that's my line!

I thought you didn't like that job.

**:Shiro:** Then I'll do the disclaimer. She owns nothing but her crazy and upside-down mind so fuck off.

That's not very nice. *grins*

**:Shiro: **Oh crap.


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